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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25430251">Knocker</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/elldotsee/pseuds/elldotsee'>elldotsee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Anniversary Ficlets 2020 [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brotherly Love, M/M, Monologue, Mycroft gives a speech, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson's Wedding, sentimentality</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:15:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>583</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25430251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/elldotsee/pseuds/elldotsee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"He's always doing that, straightening the knocker." </p><p>The British Government gives his best man's speech.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sherlock Holmes &amp; Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Anniversary Ficlets 2020 [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807645</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>10 Years of Sherlock</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Knocker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“My brother has a brilliant mind. This is not any sort of news to anyone who has ever met him, unless you have had the misfortune of only meeting him while he was unconscious. Though I’m sure that’s not so out of the realm of possibility, knowing his line of work. He has an advanced degree in chemistry, though his insatiable curiosity, penchant for explosives and frequently destructive bouts of boredom perhaps makes that a surprising statement. He is a deep thinker and I once said he could have been a philosopher, but the truth is that he could have pursued any path he desired. </p><p>“He chose, and still chooses daily, to be a private detective. He chooses to help people, to pursue justice and moral righteousness, to absolve the innocent and implicate the guilty. Yes, I’m certain that his tendency to seek danger and his addiction to adrenaline, bordering on certifiable, also has a hand in that professional decision, but the fact remains that he has done great things for the city of London, to say nothing of England, or potentially the entire world.</p><p>“When Sherlock got into a spot of trouble in his early twenties, I was there. We had an understanding that I would <em> always </em> be there for him, to pull him out of any ugly situation that his carelessness and spontaneous, ‘look before leaping’ personality led him into.</p><p>“But more often than not, Sherlock has been the one to show me the way. When I could not see the virtue in maintaining relationships of any sort, Sherlock demonstrated how important friendships could be, first with young Mister Trevor, and then with John Watson. Again and again, he tilts my understanding of the world, replacing my stuffy beliefs with ones that are softer, brighter, more open-minded. Apparently, he also prompts me toward public self-reflection.</p><p>“I have spent a lifetime scoffing at sentiment, believing myself and my brother to be above such pedestrian emotions. I held solitude in high regard. But I have now learned, with Sherlock's example, that there is something to be said for sharing a life with someone, for expanding one’s inner circle to include another person. My brother has found that in John and to say that I am elated for him would not be an exaggeration in the least.   </p><p>“John is a man of excellent moral standing, a veteran of war, and a doctor of medicine. He has endured countless dangerous situations at my brother’s side, and two years of devastating heartbreak. Sorry again, John. </p><p>“He loves my brother with a simple mindedness that is not born of a simple mind, but rather the opposite; John Watson is a complicated man, multi-faceted and deeply layered, and the perfect counterpart to my brother. They complete each other, like two pieces of a puzzle, like two atoms of a covalent bond — no, brother dear, you’re not the only one that excelled in chemistry. </p><p>“Their love is honest and deep and inspiring. They’ve created a beautiful life together, and a family with their daughter Rosie. </p><p>“It’s important that I end this speech now before I become embarrassingly emotional. So I will end it with a toast. Ladies and gentlemen, pray charge your glasses and be upstanding. Today, my brother and his husband will continue in their life adventures, moving forward now as one in the eyes of the law. To Sherlock Holmes, and John Watson, may every day of your life together be even better than the last. Cheers.” </p>
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